The Eclipsed
by White Iguana
Summary: Rien is a thief who desperatly wants to find a clan that he can belong to. He finds the Eclipsed, a secret clan filled with the most elite of all classes. But Rien learns there is more to this clan then meets the eye. Rated T for violence and language
1. The Raid

Chapter 1

Rien hit the floor inside the caravan hard. So hard in fact, that he passed out. When he came too, all he could remember were the screams. The screams of all the people in his village as the raiders attacked; the screams of his family as they were flushed out of their burning house right into the blades of the bandits. He didn't know it yet, but those screams would haunt him for the rest of his life.

They didn't kill him. Rien wasn't quite sure why just yet. Maybe he was too pathetic, maybe it's because he was defenseless. Rien didn't know. He didn't care much either. He looked around at the other captives in the caravan. Rien didn't recognize any of them. They all looked older then him, with dark, sad faces. There were bangaas, moogles, vieras, nu mous, and humans too, like him. He turned to the bangaa next to him and tried to ask him a question, but was quickly shushed by him. He tried again and received the back of the bangaas hand as an answer.

He cried out softly in pain. As he looked at the faces of the others, he realized they all shared the same emotion: Fear. They were all afraid of what happened if they should talk.

Then Rien noticed the human guard riding in the back of the caravan along with them. He had a cruel, merciless expression on his face. His blade was out, and he was stroking it with his left hand, testing its sharpness.

The caravan stopped. The others around him all tensed. The back door of the caravan was opened and they were all escorted out by another three guards. The guards forced them to line up in a row as a chubby nu mou came to inspect them.

"This isn't what I asked for." The nu mou said with a disgusted look on his face. "I wanted strong males, ones who could actually do the work I want from them. Not weak filthy women and children." The nu mou got to the bangaa beside Rien and snarled, whacking him with his staff and knocking over in one swipe. "Pathetic…" The nu mou muttered. The guards that had escorted them here started arguing with the nu mou, and curses began to be thrown at one another.

"Quickly, young kupo! You must run, now, while they are still distracted." A nearby moogle whispered to him and winked.

Rien didn't need another hint. He bolted and ran for his life. He had made it into the town before anyone noticed. He turned back and peered out from the safety of the shadows. _He would repay this favor someday,_ Rien swore.

Rien needed to disappear now, he had nothing, and he was just shadow in the darkness. He would need to learn how to survive on his own. Rien crept off into the depths of Cyril.


	2. To Find The Clan

Chapter 2

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Ten Years Later

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Rien had established something of a life for himself. He had become a thief, a rogue, a scoundrel who picked the pockets of any passerby. He enjoyed it quite a lot too. Rien had been toughened up by the streets; he had met many different characters (not all of them friendly) though there was only one he treated like a true friend.

He had gone back to the slave's place, like he'd promised himself. When he got there however, no one was left. The place had been deserted and Rien had been more then a bit disappointed. He had moved on though, and now was making his way up the ladder as a fairly well known thief. It wasn't enough for Rien though, as he didn't even have a clan to call his own.

He had joined clans before, but never felt like he truly belonged in them. He had heard legends, however, of a clan he wanted to belong too. It wasn't easy to get into this clan. This one was different; the name was whispered on the streets for fear of being heard. The very name of it was legend.

The Eclipsed. The clan where if you got in, you'd never get out. If you did get in, you'd never need to get out though. They took care of everything for you. In there you were living the easy life. Also, missions that no one would dare list at a pub where open there. It was the perfect place for a thief like Rien. Only the most elite thieves, ninjas and assassins were found there. To get in, well… Even Rien didn't know that much.

"Hahahaha, brother!" Allie cried out and jumped onto him from behind. Rien fake collapsed from the weight, sending them both tumbling down into the street laughing. An angry moogle shook her fist at them when they got in her way.

"Stupid children," The moogle muttered and wandered off. Allie, her good mood not damaged in the slightest, looked up and smiled at Rien.

Allie was all that Rien had, she had taught him everything he knew even though she was a year younger then him. She had dirty blond hair as well as a face that was always messy from hanging around in alleyways and such. She was not quite as tall as Rien and came up to about his nose. He still remembered the first time she found him, alone and scared in an alley of Cyril. As much as Rien hated to admit it, she was an even better thief then him, although he could best her at fights with daggers.

"What?" She asked, curiously as Rien stared at her. "Nothing, just reminiscing." He grinned at her and she laughed. "Oh c'mon big bro, let's go find someone to steal from!" She grinned wickedly. "I'm sorry Allie, but I'll take you up on that some other time, I've got stuff to do." Her expression changed from that of amusement to one of concern. "You're not trying to find out about that guild again, are you?" "It doesn't matter." "Yes Rien, it does. I've been around here longer then you; I've heard the rumors and seen people disappear. Once they let you in, you never leave. I've lost friends before to that place. I don't want to lose you too…" Rien scoffed at this. "Please Al; you know how careful I am."

"Oh really, well what about that time we went to steal that diamond from Ankra the old hag and you almost got us caught because you couldn't wait the two seconds for her to leave for the hanging, even when you know she watches all those dreadful things." "Yeah well, you never know who else could have been watching that house. It's was just waiting to be robbed. And we did get out alive didn't we." Allie laughed, "All right, all right, you can twist it whatever way you want, I don't care. You just be careful though, okay there." She waggled her finger mockingly at him. "I don't want you getting hurt."

Rien watched her stroll away, stopping to steal from an unattended fruit stand and chewing on her new prize as she looked for trouble. Rien turned away. He had work to do.

Rien's hunt for the Eclipsed had only begun recently and he had searched many of the other towns as well as his home town for some clue as to where to look for this clan. _More of a guild then a clan really, _He thought. His search had taken him to all matter of places, but he still had no luck. Rien had paced himself though, so he wouldn't worry Allie. Tonight he was headed to one of the darkest sides of his home town Cyril, into the slums. He was headed for the Shadowsong Tavern. It was filled with a number of fellow thieves and Rien thought it a perfect chance for him to obtain some information.

As Rien entered all the pubs patrons glanced up and there was a moment of silence before he was recognized as a thief, after which all the groups continued their chatter. Most who operated by the law were unwelcome in the Shadowsong and knew well enough to stay away from it. Rien noticed a friend of his sipping his drink near the corner.

"Hello Isaac." Rien whispered quietly to the nu mou. Isaac looked upwards then went back to sipping his drink. "I know what you're looking for old friend. And, in fact, so do they. Which means that you might just get what you desire." Rien started but Isaac interrupted him. "Don't be so anxious, they like patience in their members. Now where was I? Ah, yes. You want to join them. Have you thought this through?" Rien nodded. "That's good. I'd try to convince you not too, but I know you when you have something on your mind. Persistence, that's a good quality too…" Isaac faded off but before Rien could say something he started again. "Well, they'll come to get you now that you've talked to me. I'll tell them you're interested. It's not going to be easy though. You should know that. But persistence, patience, skill… you may have what it takes."

Rien decided to leave nu mou. Isaac could get quite thoughtful at times and turn these opinions into lectures. He was a good friend though, loyal and true. Rien didn't like the look on his face. It was a pained look. Rien left though, before he could deter him from his route. Isaac was a very persuasive person at times.

Isaac knew Rien would persist until he talked to the Eclipsed. He knew he would just have to give in anyway. But that didn't stop the feeling of dread from washing over him when Rien entered the bar. He knew what was to come and he couldn't help but feel that he was selling his friends soul to the devil. He knew that Rien could see the worried look but didn't care. He also couldn't accept the fact that he had just killed his friend.


	3. The Moogle In The Black Hat

Chapter 3

Rien left the Shadowsong tavern in high spirits. He had worn Isaac down and was finally getting a shot at joining the Eclipsed. He walked quickly, taking the shortcuts through the alleys to his current place of residence.

He arrived at Silvercape or at least that was what he and Allie called it. It was a hideout for them; the entrance lay beneath one of the bridges in Cyril. Hidden in the rocks and extremely hard to find for anyone that didn't know the way it was a safe place for the two thieves. With their limited amount of cash they didn't really have enough to truly furnish the small place. Two beds side by side lay in the corner of the room, one light dangled from the stone ceiling, and a table lay in the center of the room. Allie was already asleep and a mess of food lie spread out on the table.

Rien sighed and threw himself onto the bed, falling asleep almost immediately. _I'll clean it up tomorrow._ He thought as he drifted off.

Rien stumbled out of bed that early morning to find that the mess was already cleaned up and he was alone. He smiled and made himself something to eat. _Allie is learning to clean up after herself._ He thought.

About an hour later, Rien was wandering the alleys when he found himself surrounded by no less then six figures. He was normally very alert to these kind of ambushes (Rien had plenty of enemies.) so this one caught him by surprise. They all were dressed fully in black and wore dark hoods that seemed to mask every one of their faces. It finally occurred to him who these characters might be.

As Rien's fingers found his way to a knife in his pocket one of them spoke. "You wish to join the Eclipsed?" A rasping strangely muffled voice whispered to him. "Yes." Rien replied firmly, his fingers not budging from their position on the hilt of the dagger. "Roof of the old Keebler's building. Midnight. Be there." And with that the six figures stepped back and disappeared into the darkness.

_Well, that was interesting._ He thought as he scratched his head. He had quite some time to kill now. Rien wandered around, really bored and impatient. He managed to steal some gold from a few passersby but mostly let the time crawl by while he waited. He also tried to find Allie and searched her usual hangout places but to no avail. He finally gave up on doing things to pass the time, they just made it seem slower. He found a nice place in a corner of the Shadowsong and waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, he left for the Keebler's place. Keebler himself was an angry old man who hated everyone. Rien had personally taken the opportunity to piss him off plenty of times. Arriving at the top, he found a note near the top. It was held down by a rock so that it couldn't be blown away by the wind. Scrawled in cruddy handwriting the note read: _Two roofs north, one east. West wall. Thirty seconds. _

Rien took off, leaping the rooftops north and rushing to the east one across the street. He hurried to the west wall. Scrawled on that side was: _Three streets right, moogle with black hat. Twenty seconds._

Barreling his way through the streets he spied the moogle with the hat. He ran up to meet him and the moogle gave him a glass with a foul smelling liquid in it. "Drink." He said. The moogle watched as Rien coughed down the whole thing. It tasted even worse then it smelt. The moogle smiled and Rien watched the world spin around him for a few precious moments before losing consciousness.


	4. The Three Trials

Author's Note: Alright, so due to a couple of reviews wanting longer chapters I give you this one. Don't expect all of them to be this long though. Without further adieu I give you chapter 4 of the Eclipsed: The Three Trials. Double the chocolaty flavor and only half the calories!

Chapter 4

When Rien came to he found himself lying on the earth outside somewhere. He felt the wind whip around him as he pulled himself to his feet and tried to regain his bearings. _Dagger? Check! All limbs intact? Check! Now where the hell am I? _Rien thought to himself as he looked around.

Rien looked around and found himself in a very strange place. The ground jutted up at odd angles and rough terrain surrounded him in all directions. Sand was everywhere and broken pieces of stone could be seen in the ground. Even these were covered by a thin cloak of sand. The cold uncaring wind lashed out at him. Rien didn't really like the place and sensed a general hostility coming from the environment. Then it hit him. He was in a jagd. He wasn't sure which jagd in particular as he never entered them but it definitely was one.

Rien looked around and saw that the place wasn't all that deserted after all. He found himself surrounded by about fifty others of looks, races and appearances. There were those dressed in elegant robes of nobles as well as those dressed in clothes covered in dirt and grime, much like himself. They were all drugged and beginning to wake up, a few were already up and waiting. He also noticed about six of the Eclipsed members standing there, observing silently.

One of the members in black approached the group of standing people. "Greetings! You have all shown an interest in joining one of the greatest clans of all time, the Eclipsed." A low murmur went through the crowd and the man (or women, Rien couldn't really tell behind that white mask) waited until silence was restored. "We have been observing you, and you have shown that you might have what it takes. Joining the Eclipsed is one of the greatest and most life changing experiences that could ever occur to you. It will not be easy and there will be many challenges ahead for you. Not all of you will survive. But those that do will be rewarded with more rewards then you can imagine. If any of you desire to walk away and guarantee your lives, do so now, for once you begin down this path there is no turning back."

There was silence for a moment as everyone looked around to see if anyone else was leaving. "Good, I didn't think so." The masked figure continued. "Now, there are three trials to complete before you can even gain access to the main headquarters of our clan. The first is to see how well you can utilize teamwork to bypass obstacles. It begins now."

The six figures backed off. Without another word of warning, all six raised their staffs. Six different gems all shined with an amazing light and Rien was momentarily blinded. As his vision came back to him he felt the earth tremble beneath his feet. A stone floor slowly shifted downwards, pouring sand into the pit it had created. Out of the corner of his eye Rien noticed the six figures backing up. He assumed that he wasn't going to enjoy this next task. He couldn't have been more right.

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone stared at the newly created hole. Then chaos followed as a huge beast flew straight up out of the hole. As Rien sheltered his eyes from the light and tried to focus his eyes what he saw terrified him. It was an enormous monster with heavy strong wings. As it approached closer he noticed that the animal was covered by three predominant colors: blue, red, and yellow. The thing reminded him of the drakes that he had fought on one occasion, but it was much, much bigger. _More of a dragon then a drake._ Rien thought. But that wasn't what scared Rien, what scared him was the fact that the dragon had three great big ugly muscular heads on top of it's' body.

The three headed dragon turned and started back towards the crowd. Everyone darted away from it's path but there was no cover to hide behind and a few were caught in it's way as it's three heads sent down blasts of lightning ice and fire to greet it's unwelcome guests. Rien could hear screaming as it landed and lashed out at the nearby trainees.

_That's it,_ He thought to himself as he darted out of the dragon's range, _I hate taking charge but I have to do something here. _"Everyone regroup! Over here! Ranged attackers behind me! Pick a mage and guard them! Mages, stay out of it's way! Healers make your way around and only help the injured if you can do so safely! Melee attackers follow me!" Rien shouted and watched as the frightened figures decided to do as he told.

One rebellious bangaa shouted back to him "And why should we lisssen to y-" His complaint was cut short as a claw came from behind him and crushed his skull, piercing it with deadly nails.

Rien winced but quickly recovered. No group would follow a coward for a commander. He drew his daggers and cautiously approached the creature along with about seven others. The fiend approached more carefully and lashed out at a moogle with a sword quickly. The archers behind him took the opportunity to send a hail of arrows at the dragon. Less then half of them found the mark though, the majority were deflected by the creature's scales which were almost better then a suit of full plate mail. The dragon howled in annoyance and Rien and a few others took their turns swinging their weapons at it, trying to draw blood. As a healer came towards the fallen moogle the dragon charged at him. A mage hit him with a spell diverting it's attention for one second, all Rien needed to make a foolish move.

Rien ran and leaped onto the creatures back, digging both of his daggers into a tender spot on one of the thing's necks. The dragon's blue head snarled in pain while the beast jumped into the air and began twisting and turning it's body, trying to shake off the puny human. The red and yellow head turned and tried snapping at Rien's fingers, forcing him to find better handholds. He let go with one hand and pulled another dagger from his vest, slamming it into about five different places in the dragon's side before he found a weak spot in the scales. The red head had had enough and blew a sharp blast of fire at Rien. Rien yelped and let go with his right hand, his left hand slowly slipping from the dagger in it's side. Rien's entire body flew back beside the dragon's tail as it took a sharp plunge downwards. Rien's hold on the dagger had weakened. Just as the last of Rien's strength began to slip away he felt the tail slam into his stomach making him lose his breath and forcing him to release his hold on the dagger.

Rien plummeted down from the sky and hit the ground hard. He could barely even move, much less get out of the way as the dragon circled around and came back towards him. When the dragon was just about upon him it swerved upwards to avoid a hail of bullets and arrows while a nu mou approached him and knelt down. The nu mou whispered some words and he felt his strength returning to him.

"Think twice before doing that kind of thing okay?" Rien grinned and thanked the nu mou for his kindness. Turning, he found that the group battling and against all odds doing quite a good job at keeping it at bay. All groups were synchronized now, working together as one.

It was at that moment that the Eclipsed members interfered. "Good. That is enough." Said the one that had spoken before and the six members raised their staffs. The filled with light again and the dragon screeched out in agony as the light struck it from all angles but the one that it didn't want to go near. The Eclipsed forced it back into the pit before they sealed it once again.

"You have learned to work together. This trial has been passed." The dark figure announced. "You will follow me while my comrades finish up here." The other figures drew blades and approached the injured people that were on the ground but still moving.

"Wait! What are they doing?" Rien inquired although he feared he already knew the answer. "They are putting them out of their misery, taking away their pain." "What the hell are you talking about?" The nu mou that had healed him shouted out angrily. "I could have healed them!" The figure turned and paid no more notice to the dying behind him. "Come, this way."

Rien couldn't help but feel a prickle of pain every time he heard one of the people behind him gasp their last breaths. _Those were people I just fought beside. That could have been me. In fact, that should be me. _Rien thought guiltily. He looked around at the rest of his new companions that were still breathing. There were about thirty of them. _Fifty all the way down to thirty. Wow…_

"Your second trial is that of independence. You must not only learn how to work with others, but to handle yourself alone. You cannot always depend on others to take care of you." He nodded towards the nu mou then towards another hole in the ground. "You first." "Wait, what exactly do I do?" The nu mou questioned nervously. "You go in. If you make it out the maze to the other side alive, you pass. Go." The masked figure shoved him downwards. After about twenty minutes or so the figure pointed at another person, a human this time. "You next." The figure stated. This process continued on for about a good hour or so before the figure finally thought it was Rien's turn. Rien took a deep breath and started down into the maze.

It was dark and Rien waited a few moments for his eyes to adjust. Glancing around, he saw stone walls along with a stone ceiling. His beat up shoes walked on a dirt path though and the entire tunnel smelled of death. He cautiously started down the tunnel, keeping his wits about him.

After a few minutes of following the tunnel, Rien slowed as it split into a five way fork. "Great." Rien stated aloud. The room was lit by torches that hung from all the walls. Rien took the opportunity to check all the entrances. Most were filled with darkness and he couldn't see beyond a few feet in front of him. But the center passage had a light that could be seen at the end of the tunnel. _So,_ Rien wondered _do I take the one in the center which I can see the exit? Or do I try the other ones because the light at the end of that tunnel could be heaven? Hmmmm let's see. _Rien flipped a coin. "Center tunnel it is!" Rien announced as he crept towards the path.

Rien took his time even more so this time. He checked the placement of his feet and watched wear he put his hand along the wall for balance. His caution was well rewarded as he found a spear hidden against the wall and a trip wire near his feet. Rien chuckled as he bypassed the trap. He continued making his way cautiously along, avoiding a great number of traps including arrows, spears, pits, and snares.

After about halfway through the tunnel Rien began to get cocky. He had beaten all the traps the clan had sent at him until now. He felt invincible, like he would be in this clan in no time. Allie would always tell him that when he got too confident he began to make mistakes. "Well you don't see me making any now do you?" Rien smirked as he leaned on a loose stone as he bypassed a pit. The stone slid in a little too much for Rien's comfort. _Uh oh_ he thought _what now? _Rien turned as he saw something dark fall into place where the light from the torches at the other end was coming from. It was only then, right before the whole hallway lost it's light that he noticed the hallway was slanted downwards, towards the light.

"Oh crap!" Rien yelled as he heard the dark object rolling it's way downwards towards him. Rien tossed himself in the direction that the light to the outside was coming from, running as fast as he could. He heard a whole matter of arrows, spears, and daggers flying by his head and just prayed for some good luck and that he might make it out of this place alive. _Almost there, almost there! _Rien thought as he approached the exit. It was just then that his luck ran out.

Rien yelped as he tripped over a tripwire and fell down face first into a pit. He could barely see the spikes that jutted out from it in the darkness. _This is it… _Rien thought as he fell down and landed, landed on something hard but not sharp. _What?_ He thought to himself as he heard the thing which he identified as a boulder rolling past him and out into the light. He squinted in the darkness and found himself lying cushioned on a body, the body of a nu mou in fact. Rien recognized him immediately. "Thanks man, I owe you another one." Rien whispered to the nu mou quietly and pulled himself out of the pit.

Rien cautiously led himself out into the opening, checking carefully for more traps. He didn't need to worry; the last few feet were safe. Rien wandered through the entrance and found a group of people waiting for him. He breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't want to crawl through any more trap ridden corridors. Smiling as an Eclipsed member led him to the center of the room, he examined it a little better. The room was circular and had a high ceiling. There were many interesting designs along the ceilings and walls and it looked like some kind of ceremonious room. The most noticeable feature of the room however, was a large pit surrounding the center platform. Rien saw all the different entrances and figured it was for catching the various boulders that spat out of the tunnels. _How did they get those boulders back up there anyway? _Rien wondered. He would have to ask someone about that later.

Looking at the company surrounding him he found three Eclipsed members, two moogles, a nu mou, three vieras, one bangaa and four humans. He tried talking to some of them, but most just gave him stares of annoyance. Rien decided to keep to himself afterwards. After about another ten minutes he saw a bangaa come out of one of the tunnels. And after that, a nu mou. One by one, the remaining survivors made their way out of the various tunnels they had chosen. The funniest by far for Rien was the last moogle who made it. He yelled various funny whoops of laughter while sliding out from the tunnel on his belly. He rolled out of the way just in time for the boulder that came tumbling out after him to miss him with inches to spare.

Twenty survivors stood around in the cavern wondering what else was about to happen. The remaining Eclipsed members appeared through various other passages and the six original ones they'd encountered all gathered in front of them. The same one as before (or at least what Rien thought was the same one from his voice,) began speaking softly, just loud enough so that Rien could hear him. "You have passed two out of the three trials needed to enter into the guild. I would congratulate you but I have no doubt that some of you will not survive the next trial. I will wait to see the strong that prevail this task. For the next task you will sit upon the Chair Of Revelations, an artifact of immense power. It will show you all the things that you fear, all the things you hate in hopes of making you shout out in despair, agony, or whatever else you might feel while being exposed to it. All of us have sat in it and we tell you honestly, that after this experience you will never be quite the same. While you are strapped into the chair upon this platform, the platform will lower to leave you in complete darkness below. The room below is filled with Mind Reavers. Mind Reavers are blind creatures created by our leaders for the sole purpose of this task. They cannot see, but their hearing is immensely acute and sensitive. They are normally peaceful creatures, but if you let anything higher then a low whisper come out of your mouth, they will tear you to bits as they cannot stand the noise. If the madness doesn't kill you, then indeed they will. Even now as I speak to you in this room, hear them stirring." He paused and indeed they could hear their angry cries coming from below.

"Bastards are making more noise then we are!" He could hear a human whisper in front of him. "They are immune to the cries of their own kind." The Eclipsed member replied matter of factly to the human. "Unless any of you wish to quit now, let us begin."

No one asked to leave and so all of them stepped carefully off the center platform onto the side while the chair was brought into the center. Rien never thought that he would ever be frightened by a chair in his life but hear he was, shuddering at the sight of it. It was huge, so big in fact that it had taken four Eclipsed members just to place it on the platform. The chair was black, with a slime green cushion on the back and seat. There were straps on the arms and legs to keep people from squirming too much and just added to the fearful look of the thing.

The one Eclipsed member called forth the first one to be tried. Rien recognized the moogle that had slid out of the last challenge on his belly. He didn't look nearly as confident now, strapped into a chair that was never made for a moogle, much less a human. One Eclipsed pulled a lever and Rien watched as the moogle was slowly lowered into the darkness. There was a nerve burning silence that Rien wanted to break, but he feared that if he did the little moogle would lose his life. After what seemed like ages but in reality must have been only a few minutes, the moogle was raised out of the darkness. There were tears pouring from his eyes but he didn't make a sound and struggled feebly to get out of the restraints. He was released but even the fact that he was now a member of the Eclipsed didn't seem to ease the pain of what he had just seen. The Eclipsed member was right; he never would be the same. The moogle sat silently on the sidelines, tears still filling his face.

Next up was a viera dressed in elegant robes. She quivered as she was strapped into the great chair. She looked around despairingly as she was lowered into the darkness. There were a few seconds of intense silence. Then the entire crowd jumped as she let out a blood curdling scream. The screeches of the Mind Reavers were just as loud as Rien and the rest of the company were forced to listen to her screams being slowly cut off as the Reavers attacked the noise mercilessly. Then there was silence. After a few moments one of the members raised the platform back up. A bloody mess lay on the chair, and as much as Rien wanted to look away, he couldn't. He was mesmerized by the sheer horror of it all. Rien watched as two of the members removed the remains from the chair and threw it into the pit. He heard it hit the ground with a sickening flop. The chair then seemed to somehow absorb the blood. Nevertheless it was perfectly clean for its next victim to sit upon. Rien couldn't tell but he thought that even the members were mightily disturbed by this process.

Rien waited and watched, most of them got through with nothing but frightened and disturbed looks on their faces, but every so often one would scream and the bloody mess would begin again. Finally it was his turn. As much as he wanted it to come and be done with, he also dreaded it.

Rien sat down upon the chair. It was cold, and his feet didn't even touch the floor. He felt the members tighten the straps and also felt the adrenaline rush through his body. _How many lives had this chair claimed? How much blood was in its wood?_ Rien thought in despair and disgust as he waited for the platform to be lowered. One of the members gave the signal and he was off, going down, down deep into the blackness. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't smell anything. He couldn't think anything. He couldn't feel anything. And then they began, hallucinations so deep that they were real, chilling every bone, burning every nerve.

_Rien watched it burn, all of it. His village, his home, his family, Allie, Isaac, the gentle nu mou he'd met. All of them burning, being attacked by the fires of the raiders on the village. If he could only get to them, only shout a warning. But no, he couldn't speak. If he spoke, would they kill him too? Stop being so selfish, shout a warning, yell a battle cry, call for help! A voice in his head ordered. Wait, were those his thoughts, or were they… He couldn't speak, he mustn't he shouldn't!_

_Rien was tied to a post in the center of his town, all the houses were just ashes. They all laughed at him, whipping him, beating him. The boy that betrayed their village, that promised to avenge them but never did. They made fun of his promises, jested at his lies, scorned his life. His father and mother took turns at him with a sword. "You don't deserve to be my son, you pointless pathetic human! You can't accomplish. You deserve to rot just like all the raiders that burned this town." His father said and spit on him. "You always disappoint us Rien, why don't you just give up. Give up on life. Apologize for all your sins by taking your own life." His mother told him and came towards him with a knife, dripping with blood. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't. He couldn't say a word and just stood there and took it all, silently as ever._

_Rien watched Allie in their small home of Silvercape. She was sleeping, small fragile and naive to the man that stood behind her. He approached, a needle in his hand dripping with poison. "Do you love her?" The man asked and Rien could see that it was himself standing over her with the needle. "No you don't do you. You hate her. She's just a nuisance, always in your way. You want to kill her don't you? You can't deny it. She's better then you at everything. A better thief, a better fighter, if anyone deserves to be in this clan it's her not you. You hate her don't you? You hate her with all your soul. You want her to die; you want me to kill her. I will, I'll get rid of her. There's nothing that you can do about it either. You're pathetic. You won't even open your mouth to save your best friend, not to mention you're only friend. Why does she even put up with you? She hates you, ever since you came along you've only slowed her down, ruined her plans and obsessed all about yourself. No more, no more. She'll die tonight." Rien watched the copy of himself raise his hand. He must shout a warning to her. She can't die. But he couldn't speak, he can never speak. The copy of himself brought the needle down and put the poison into her neck. Her eyes opened wide in shock and she stared straight at Rien. "How could you…" She whispered and died right there in front of him._

Rien blinked away tears as the light washed over him. He didn't move as the members released him from his restraints. One had to nudge him before he started moving. He kept replaying those words and scenes in his head. He saw Allie die in front of him again and again. The only thought that flowed through his mind was _I can't talk; I can't speak,_ as he rocked gently on the sidelines in silence.


	5. Initiation

**A. N. The Challenge: Icey the Fox bet me that I couldn't finish one of my stories by the time he was back. Or maybe I bet him, or said both... Doesn't matter now, I have one week to prove him wrong, supposing a chapter a night... Will six chapters be enough to finish it? Will it seem rushed, and messy? Will all chapters be short and suck ass? Is there alien life out there? Stay tuned to find out, oh and by the way, I haven't put a disclaimer up till now, so here it is: I don't own FFTA. Too bad eh?**

Chapter 5

Ten survivors inside the circle in the next room, not far from the third trial. They stood in the center of five statues, one of each race. The five statues looked tall, and full of power and pride. Rien wasn't sure but he assumed that they might be the creators of the Eclipsed. The right arm of each statue was outstretched and the hands were all piled on top of one another, almost like a symbol of friendship and teamwork. The new initiates stood just below the hands, and it seemed almost as if the statues were granting their blessings upon them.

Rien turned to face his new colleagues. They were gathered in a circle, facing inwards. Rien had only managed to figure out some of their names and occupations. Starting from his left was a timid moogle with large goggles named Guiness, Rien gathered that he was a gunner, though he once specialized as a gadgeteer and still used those skills from time to time. Beside Guiness was the fun loving mog knight named Kent. Next to him were two nu mous, Midas and Pikips, the sage brothers. Two tall vieras and a raggedy clothed bangaa stood next to them. Another bangaa stood beside him and finishing off the group was a cruel human called Roland. Rien didn't really get along with the man, who seemed to enjoy watching others suffer. He had even laughed when he saw what the chair had done to Rien. Rien eyed the ninja suspiciously, suspecting that he might have already made an enemy, even though they were all supposedly on the same side.

As the Eclipsed members gathered around the area with the statues, using the very same staffs they used before to summon the dragon, they placed them in the slots surrounding the area. The group was ordered to place their hands together in the center and so everyone obeyed. The room grew dark and a blue magic filled and floated around the room. Rien could hear the Eclipsed members chanting in the background but eventually all the noises seemed to fade away as he and the others beside him were completely enveloped in the magic. Then just as suddenly as it happened, the room grew silent and the magic faded away.

Rien and the others found themselves standing in the entrance room in the guild of the Eclipsed along with hundreds of other members all standing around them, no masks or anything. They all applauded as they saw the new members appear in a flash of dark blue light. The people cheered, laughed and many ran over to meet the group. After a few minutes of hand shaking, pats on the back and trying to remember all these new names a voice called out for silence.

Everyone quieted down and turned to face this important figure. "Welcome," (Rien recognized the voice as the one who lead them through the tasks) "I am Decker, the recruitment leader of the Eclipsed, and I am very happy that you all made it. It is no easy task and many congratulations are in order." Decker waited for the applause to stop before he continued. "These are the rulebooks for the clan; you will find that these rules govern every situation. I know that most of you will not even bother to read the rulebook, but at least read the first pages, they contain the most important rules of the guild in them." Decker motioned towards two of his helpers that brought forward several dictionary sized books.

"As well, please notice the rings on your hands," Rien stared down and sure enough, there was a ring on the pinky of his left hand. Rien thought it looked pretty cool, it had the symbol of a sun being covered by a moon. "These rings are your keys to get inside the guild; they are only visible to other members of our clan. The doors use a magically coded system, and the codes are automatically updated and changed every day. Guard your ring and your rulebook with your life! I cannot stress this enough!" Decker smiled before continuing.

"Now, you are never alone in the Eclipsed, all these people around you are your allies. However, you have all been assigned a partner, to compliment each other's personalities and abilities. This will be your best friend, your business partner, and your guardian angel all combined. You will have to take responsibility for your partner, and so you will share in their successes, and in their defeats. The partners are as follows…"

Rien was pretty sure that the Eclipsed would divide up the group by race, and was dreading the fact that he would be stuck with Roland for a "best friend". Rien shuddered. But he was surprised and quite happy when he found out he was wrong, and he found himself paired with the small bespectacled moogle, Guiness. Midas and Pikip stayed together, Kent was partnered with a viera, and Roland ended up with a towering bangaa gladiator.

After more clapping and celebrating, they were led off by Decker's helpers to various different wings of the guild, and Rien noted that he and Guiness had rooms right beside one another. Rien figured that all partners must be stuck together.

_Ah well, no biggie. Guiness doesn't seem like all that bad a guy anyway. Maybe a little geeky, but whatever._

Rien used his ring to unlock his room and his mouth dropped open in awe. "Wow…" That was the only word Rien could manage as he gazed around the beautifully decorated room. Gold statues, paintings, silk curtains, a real bed! He resisted the urge to steal whatever wasn't nailed down from the room, figuring that it was all technically his now anyway.

"Wow, Guiness, is you seeing this?" Rien shouted out to his new friend.

Guiness laughed, "If you think that's kupo, check the chest!"

Noticing a chest in the corner of his room, he walked over to it and tried to open it. It was locked, but using the ring, he unlocked it and opened it. Again, Rien stared in shock. Gil, gil, GIL! The entire chest was filled to the top with it. _It's all mine! I'm rich, I'm RICH!_

"WHHHOOOO HOO!" Rien pumped his arms up and started jumping on his bed in excitement.

Looking at the chest, he saw one of Decker's helpers standing in his doorway with a smirk on his face.

"C'mon now, throw on one of your suits and come back into the main hall for the celebration." Noticing the puzzled look on Rien's face he added, "They're in your closet." The Eclipsed member left while Rien explored his new closet.

After about ten minutes of trying to tie his tie and finally giving up, Rien marched out and waited a little longer for Guiness to appear. The moogle came out a little later, looking extremely goofy in a small black tuxedo. Rien held back his laughter while Guiness scowled at him. He noticed the rulebook in Guiness's hand and gave him a slight questioning look.

"I hate celebrations kupo." Guiness informed him. Rien just shrugged and they left for the main hall. "Stop, you look like a complete dork," Guiness ordered and as he instructed Rien to bend down while he struggled to tie the tie.

"Where'd you learn this Guiness?" Rien said with a slight grin.

"Not a word kupo, or I'll put a bullet through your head while you sleep." Guiness finished and stopped to admire his work. "There, now you're looking quite the kupo." They headed off towards the main hall again.

Rien needed to take a second after arriving just to take it all in. The main hall itself was HUGE. The ceiling was a giant arc, the room basically a huge dome. Stairwells lined the walls and many hallways led off from them. The room itself was filled with people, males and females of all races. Rien immediately began mingling with the various others, trying to get to know as many as he could, although most names just flew past him. Rien found himself a chair and was delighted by the amount and different kinds of food offered.

After the great feast, the dancing began. Rien spied out Guiness sitting in a corner, skimming over the rulebook and occasionally gazing around the room. He also saw Kent, being thrown up and down in the middle of the dance floor by a group of vieras, laughing his head off. He couldn't spy any of the other new recruits, but all that was forgotten when he was asked by a cute girl if he wanted to dance. Rien, slightly startled, accepted and soon learned that the girl's name was Emma. After a whole night of partying and dancing, the dance ended and Rien gave a small goodnight kiss to Emma and left for bed.

As Rien lay in bed he thought about all the excitement, the dancing, joining the guild and all the other things that had happened in the past few days

_This is perfect. This is the life. It just can't get any better then this._ Rien thought as he pulled the covers up to his chin and fell asleep.

The next morning he was awoken by Guiness banging on his door. "Wake up!" the small moogle bellowed, "C'mon Rien, wake up!" Rien grumbled and rolled over. "It's too early!" He complained and covered his head with his pillow. "Kupo, it's already twelve! Plus, we have plenty of other initiation routines to complete!"

_A whole week of boredom! I don't know if I can do this…_ Rien thought as he dragged himself out of bed and opened the door for the moogle.

"Finally kupo!"

"Pssh, I had a late night, so what?" Rien yawned.

"We've got to go!" Guiness announced.

"What, this early?"

"Yes kupo. I've been reading about the first week of initiation. There are plenty of events that happen during the day. Today there's The Rituals, then there's The Questioning, and then there's The Partner's Bond..."

Rien grumbled and hid his head in his pillow.

---

**A.N. Oh and by the way, there hasn't been that much action up till now, but expect more in the chapters to come.**


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